Jayna Holroyd-Leduc, MD, FRCPC Associate Professor, Section of Geriatrics, U of Calgary Co-Chair of TVN s Citizen Engagement Initiative
Giving Voice to Frail Elderly Canadians Initiative Led by members of TVN s Citizen Engagement and Knowledge Translation committees expertise in citizen engagement and knowledge implementation delegates from a wide range of areas Tasked with engaging citizens and other stakeholders Stakeholder meeting (Sept 2015) Development of a white paper
Pillars of Engagement In research: - conducting research - priority setting In the health continuum: - health care decision making - personalized care plans Frail elderly and family caregiver engagement In policy: - policy setting - organizational planning (e.g., management and administration)
Pillars of Engagement Strategies to engage citizens and family caregivers in meaningful research partnerships In research: - conducting research - priority setting In the health continuum: - health care decision making - personalized care plans Frail elderly and family caregiver engagement In policy: - policy setting - organizational planning (e.g., management and administration)
Pillars of Engagement Strategies to empower citizens and family caregivers in decisions regarding health care needs In the health continuum: - health care decision making - personalized care plans In research: - conducting research - priority setting Frail elderly and family caregiver engagement In policy: - policy setting - organizational planning (e.g., management and administration)
Pillars of Engagement In the health continuum: - health care decision making - personalized care plans In research: - conducting research - priority setting Frail elderly and family caregiver engagement Strategies to influence planning and policy directions of health care systems In policy: - policy setting - organizational planning (e.g., management and administration)
Held a world cafe-style meeting (Sept. 2015) to gain consensus on issues relating to engaging older adults living with frailty and their family caregivers Strategies and hurdles to engagement across different settings research, health continuum policy
Good distribution of attendees 59 attendees representing: Citizens, Family caregivers, Advocacy groups Health care providers, administrators Policy makers Researchers Other (health bloggers, federal granting agencies, industry partners)
Key Issues Identified Citizen engagement is a necessary component to improving care for and quality of life of older adults living with frailty Flexibility is a key to engagement Timing Location Degrees of engagement Potential solutions: Travel to the citizen or family caregiver Use web-based communication platforms
Key Issues Identified Language and perception are extremely important factors e.g., individuals who are living with frailty do not necessarily identify as being frail Frail elders do not identify as frail
Common barriers across settings Older adults and family caregivers expressed perceived power imbalance between themselves and researchers/health care providers Cognitive impairment, health literacy, cultural differences, and ageism Willingness and ability to engage for all parties (citizens, researchers, healthcare providers) Lack of appropriate incentives to engagement for all parties Lack of training and resources on how to engage citizens from the perspective of researchers and health care providers Lack of engagement opportunities in the research setting
Improving engagement opportunities Researchers can publicize opportunities at venues where citizens may visit (e.g., libraries, seniors centers, malls) Make benefits of engagement in research clear to participants Dissemination of research findings back to citizens and to a wider audience user-friendly format plain-english
Improving engagement opportunities Incorporate a citizen leader on a research team who acts in the role of end-user Research teams should have a citizen leader in addition to a scientific leader
Improving engagement opportunities Improve health literacy by providing resources (e.g., information packages, decision aids) to educate patients on how to engage with health or social care providers, and vice versa Create tools and education packages for health care providers on ways to meaningfully engage frail elderly and caregivers
Improving engagement opportunities Training on how to engage directed to researchers and health providers Webinars, videos, brochures, etc. More research needed on how to engage this vulnerable population Research needed into why/how the frail elder becomes engaged in research.
Improving engagement opportunities Systematic changes that increase engagement opportunities include: Adding how to engage your patient to health care provider education Provide continuing medical education (CME) credits for engagement training Use electronic medical records to document goals of care and needs of the patient, that can be accessed by the patient Integrated models of care may reduce inefficiencies and financial disincentives that may allow for a more patient-centered approach
Role of TVN Engaging our stakeholders Provide guidance and support for engaging citizens and family caregivers Partnerships with industry and federal/provincial health organizations Resources and/or training (e.g., how-to manuals, or webinars) TVN needs to play a central role in providing guidance and support for patient engagement in research TVN needs to provide resources to researchers that help them to effectively conduct person-centered research..
Role of TVN Engaging our stakeholders Increase awareness of TVN s mandate and the importance of understanding the frail state Incentivize engagement on research projects by making it a condition of funding Provide resources/training to research teams on how to engage older adults living with frailty and their family caregivers
Summary of findings will be: 1. Posted to the TVN website at: tvn-nce.ca/engaging-canadians 2. Linked to in the upcoming TVN newsletter
Questions?? jayna.holroyd-leduc@ahs.ca